Does anyone raise Silver Spangled Hamburgs?

[crazyfeathers]

Hi, I picked these two up yesterday do you think they are a Hamburg cross? Thanks

 

[Tikkijane]

Hi, I picked these two up yesterday do you think they are a Hamburg cross? Thanks

I'm thinking no, but what would they ve crossed with? Mine still have the silver legs and rose comb (but feathered legs; likely a cochin bantam, but given their tail feathers are most like my d'Uccle.... hard to know baby daddy.}. The body type also would be more slender, I'd think.

 

[cluckaduck87]

I have 2 silver spangled hamburgs,and they are the friendliest girls i have (also have 2 pekins, 2 white stars, 2 black stars, 2 red ranchers) they both approach me for fuss & treats and will let me handle them with no problem at all. I love them. But my question is when do they start laying mine are 6 months now and not an egg in sight

 

[cluckaduck87]

This is my fave girl Edna, she loves cuddles

 

[merlg]

I have a Silver Spangled Hamburg rooster and 9 easter egger hens. They are all free range with a wooden coop for protection at night. He is a one mean rooster, but that's why I keep him around. We have hawks in the area but between him, lots of cover and a local family of crows I haven't lost one adult chicken to a hawk. He sticks with all the hens and will defend them with his life. He will attack anyone new that comes on the property, usually drawing blood unless I'm with them, then he leaves us all alone.

I went into his coop at just before it got dark, grabbed his legs an carried him outside upside down. Then I put him on his back and held him there until he stopped squawking and struggling. I was able to walk away and he didn't move until a little while later. I have to do that once a year it seems and then he will not challenge or attack me... but if anyone new and alone comes on the property he will run across the yard and attack them. He's impossible to catch during the day even though he was raised with the other hens who are friendly enough to catch. They are just a really wild breed. Perfect for free-range, not good for pets (roosters at least).

 

[CarlaG]

I was so astounded when I read this thread I had to sign up to reply.

I've had Silver Spangled Hamburgs for 6 years now and I can't fathom why anyone would keep anything else. They are the perfect chicken IMO. They are gorgeous. They are an egg laying machine. I reckon 300 eggs a year and they keep it up for about 5 years before production starts to drop off. The eggs get bigger as the chook gets older. I am incubating some right now from 9 or 10 year old hens and they are large eggs.

OK, so they are not ideal for a petting zoo, lol! But they are friendly enough if you don't try to grab them. They love to help with the gardening. And any other backyard project you have on the go. And they will send a delegation to your back door if dinner is late! Not that they really need it, they are great foragers.

Hamburgs are robust and healthy. When bird flu hit the flock a couple years ago, I only lost one adult hamburg, out of about 20. All the others recovered within about 3 days. We won't talk about the casualties in the rest of the flock.

If you are planning to keep hamburgs, you will need a big back yard that they can free range in, and a night time lock up with a bit of a run and high perches. If you try and cage them they will not be happy. If you need to catch one, wait till it's almost dark and they get a bit dopey.

If a hamburg "goes off the lay" it means that they have found a new and more inaccessible (to you) hiding place for their eggs. The challenge for you is to find it and not to let on that you have found it. Always leave a couple eggs in the nest and don't let them see you collecting them. Same goes for the owner of the pullet who is not laying at 7 mos old! Check under sheds, in the compost bin, in the dog kennel, under thick prickly shrubs, anywhere but the nest box.

I have had several roosters since I started breeding hamburgs. Only one got aggressive. That was after I caught and sold 6 members of his harem. I had to relegate him to a large run with his favorite hen for a few months and he calmed down.

I have just acquired a black hamburg rooster. He's gorgeous! I'll be getting some black hamburg pullets for him.

I would highly recommend Hamburgs to anyone who has the space to keep them.

 

[PDPercherons]

That's the thing I love about my Hamburgs, they're alert. I'm constantly fetching them from the forsythia and lilac bushes if I want them cooped up at night. They'll fly over the 6' fence and may decide to go back in on their own. Healthy and robust foragers. I'm lucky to have a very large yard and a lot of acreage with minimal road traffic. Usually these girls are never more than 500yards from home base. Although just as 'small' as my buttercup hens, I really look forward to the eggs. I bought these girls due to rarity and looks. I wouldn't hesitate to get more. I get plenty of loving from my BSL hen.

 

[MTmillefleur]

Forty plus years with Hamburgs. Love them. I also love wild birds and Hamburgs are the closest chicken to wild birds I know. Extremely hardy and healthy in Montana. Great egg production with lower feed costs. After owning many other breeds, I will only keep Hamburgs now (but I am very interested in Icelandic chickens too).

 

[PDPercherons]

These are my girls.

 

[cressrb]

I love my no fuss SSH, too. This is the first time owning one and she fits in with the flock, never causing trouble. Doesn't care to be picked up and made over. I let her out in the afternoon and she head back into the coop at dusk with no problem. I didn't think she would ever start laying- she finally did at 7 months (just this month) and once she started she has not missed a day. Eggs are larger than a Lakenvelder, not quite as large as the Wyandotte, but she is young. I would definately consider another in the future, but then I don't really make pets of my chickens. I like them, but I don't have time to sit and hold them or carry them around.